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Seanad Éireann debate -
Thursday, 20 Jun 1929

Vol. 12 No. 15

Public Business. - Increase of Rent and Mortgage Interest (Restrictions) Bill, 1929.—Second Stage.

Question proposed: "That the Increase of Rent and Mortgage Interest (Restrictions) Bill, 1929, be read a Second Time."

This Bill aims at preserving the status quo between landlord and tenant in house property. The Seanad, no doubt, is aware that a class of houses will become decontrolled under the existing law on the 24th June of this year. We are engaged in preparing a comprehensive scheme of legislation dealing with the entire question of landlord and tenant in town property and with housing generally, and it is considered desirable that the present relationship should be carried on unchanged until the new legislation is brought before the Dáil and the Seanad, and becomes law, if the Dáil and Seanad approve of its provisions. The proposed Bill is not yet completed, but I hope to introduce it in the autumn session. Meanwhile this Bill carries on the existing law for another period of twelve months. I trust that considerably before that period will have expired our new legislation will be in force, and I ask the Seanad to pass this Bill as quickly as is reasonably possible, because there is a certain shortness of time. I am afraid we have left it, possibly, towards the end of the session, but I do not think that this will be in any way regarded as a contentious measure, because it is not a measure which of its own nature is really susceptible of amendment. It is merely carrying on the existing law. It does not make any alteration in the existing law, and any alterations which any Senator thinks should be made in the existing law either in the interests of landlords or of tenants would be germane to the proposed new Bill but not to this Bill.

After what the Minister has said, I cannot very well ask the House to reject this Bill, but I should be very much interested to know, in the case of what the Minister describes as a non-contentious measure, whether a minority of one makes it contentious. I certainly cannot accept the fact that this Bill is non-contentious and does not contain features of great hardship and injustice. There is an old saying that "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick." If there is any body of people whose hearts should be sick to-day it is house-property owners who, alone of any class in the community, are prevented by this legislation from operating under the free laws of supply and demand. Why should the necessities of life, such as clothing and food, have a free and open market, and why alone should rent be fixed at a figure which is far below that represented by the actual rise in wages, or by the reduced purchasing power compared with pre-war days? There has never been any explanation of that except this—and it will not be given officially—that house owners are a negligible number of the community and that their voting power is very weak. There is the further injustice that while the man who built the house, and the man who has to repair it, is restricted to a temporary increase in the pre-war rent, those who occupy the house are allowed to put in a few sticks of furniture and profit by sub-letting, and in some cases charge for one room rent that is higher than the whole rent paid to the landlord. That is going on year after year that this thing is being deferred. At the present time I can only content myself with this protest, which I wish to make on every possible occasion against the injustice of this legislation.

I would like to make the point that the injustice of not passing this Bill would be a thousand times greater than any injustice that could be conceived, even from the point of view of the Senator who has just sat down. One does not want to discuss his point of view, which is, that the owner of what is, in effect, a monopoly should have the right to squeeze the people, to whom the commodity is a necessity, of the utmost that the owner could get out of the tenant. I would press this point of view upon the Minister when he is considering future legislation: whatever may be the method, there must be some restriction, and an easily utilised restriction, upon the price that is capable of being charged for a necessity when there is an inevitable shortage of the supply of that necessity. I hope the Minister will bear in mind that in this matter we are, and shall be for a considerable time, in a state of partial famine, and the owner of the commodity which is short should not be able to charge famine prices.

Question put and agreed to.

Can the Seanad take the Committee Stage to-morrow?

Could the convenience of the only Senator interested in the passage of this Bill be consulted? I could not possibly be here to-morrow. I recognise that there is very little prospect of amendments being carried, but, on the other hand, I should like to make points in Committee and to elaborate the various injustices in more detail.

In view of the statement that has been made, and in view of the fact that the existing Act expires on the 24th instant, it would be impossible to hold this Bill over after to-morrow, if there is any intention of putting it into operation at all.

I do not want to be vexatious about the matter by standing on my strict rights. I would like to know if there is power under the Standing Orders for the other stages to be taken to-morrow without notice.

Cathaoirleach

There is power to have the Committee Stage taken to-morrow. I would like to have the opinion of the House on the matter and I will be guided by that.

I move that the remaining stages be taken to-morrow.

Cathaoirleach

I will take a motion to take the Committee Stage.

I move that the Committee Stage be taken to-morrow.

I second.

We had many cases where urgency was quoted as a reason why we should hurry up matters, but for a good while now we have not had such cases. Here is a Bill put before us to-day, and we are told by Senator Farren that we must pass it by the 24th June. This is the 20th June. Is there any reason why we could not have received this Bill last week, or the week before? I am not complaining about this Bill, but I think the Seanad ought to ask the reason why the Bill is brought in only three days before the Act expires. Most of us did not know that we would have to sit again to-morrow, but now we are told that we must take the Committee Stage. I wonder could the Minister tell us why it was not brought in before? I think it is the business of the House to know that.

I am in agreement with Senator Jameson with regard to the late stage at which the Bill was brought before the House. One, of course, has to admit the urgency of the question now, seeing that the powers of the existing Act cease on Monday next, and that it will then be in the power of landlords to increase rents unless this Bill becomes law immediately. At least a lacuna would occur for which there would be no legislation, and which might lead to all sorts of legislative difficulties. I think some explanation is necessary as to the delay in bringing forward this Bill. It is not a Bill that involved any considerable drafting, and is one that, from the beginning, might be considered as being practically non-controversial. There has been some pressure brought on the Government for its introduction, and I think questions were raised about it. It is surprising that the Bill did not come forward earlier. This involves sometimes an injustice to minorities, which do not get reasonable time for considering amendments. I would be in favour of giving them every opportunity of doing so on this occasion were it not for the extreme urgency of the matter, and because of circumstances over which the House has no control.

Cathaoirleach

I have a motion that the Committee Stage should be taken to-morrow. It is for the House to decide.

Can I raise a point of order?

Cathaoirleach

What is the point?

Whether it is possible to have all the Stages to-morrow without notice.

Cathaoirleach

We will decide that to-morrow.

I shall not be here to-morrow.

We must recognise that unless the Report and Final Stages are taken to-morrow this Bill cannot be passed before June 24.

Cathaoirleach

I am sure that some of us recognise that.

I did. I gave notice that I would move that all stages of the Bill be taken to-morrow.

Question put and declared carried.
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